Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-25
MAUNA LOA.
The Grand Sights with essed n
HOnOlulu,s Volcano.

uOhOtuiu'S v vOICa mo-
SAN Francisco. February 24.-The
steamer Australia, which arrived this
morning from Honolulu, brings full par.
ticulars of the great lava flow from
Mauna Loa. The sight is described as
magnificent beyond description. A col.
umn of fire was first observed from the
summit of the crater on the night of
January 10th. The fire died out before
midnight, but the cessation of the fire
was followed by earthquake shocks,
coming in quick succession up to the
night of the 18Th, when the fire and the
lava again burst forth from the mount-
ain side. The length of the flow is es.
timated at twenty miles. This distance
the lava accomplished in two day,
spreading as it descended, re aching the
sea on the evening of January Goth.
The stream of lava continued to flow
without interruption till the 29th, when
river of fire burst forth, folio wing the
line of the lava flow. When the fire
broke out the heavy earthquakes ceased,
although slight tremors were felt at in.
tervals thereafter.
Major Benson, United States Army,
visited the coast where the flow of lava
entered the sea. He thus describes the
scene witnessed by him after nightfall
on January the ooh: "With the in.
creased darkness point after point of
fire was developed along the entire
course of the flow, until the culmina.
ton was reached at 2:30 A. M, when the
above to height Of l50 feet" Major
Benson travelled to the head of the flow
on the 3lst. He describes it as follows:
I'm the center of great masses of rough
black lava was the crater, about l2O
feet in circumference, around which
circle of living f1re formed at intervals
above. Three hundred yards below the
crater the molten lava poured forth in
streams from the fssures in the noun.
tain side. Numerous other smaller |
craters also emitted smaller streams of |
lava. At times the entire group of |
craters shot forth huge tongues of fire |
simultaneously, followed by immense |
streams of lava. These demonstrations |
continued at intervals for some time" |
Rev. S. Z. Bishop. well known in the
scientific world, visited the scene on
February lst, after the rush of the fire |
was over. He writes as follows: "The |
northwest side of the flow presents o |
straight, solid embankment forty feet |
high, and in some places one and a half |
miles wide. The lava overreaches the |
original coast line from 200 to 500 feet,
making thirty acres of new land. Ono
can perhaps partially imagine how that
tide of fire and rocks, near mile wide,
rolled for week over the shore into the |
deep and convulsive ocean, but none can |
have the powers of Imagination to con.
ceive the awful splendor of the down. |
ward charge of that mile-broad deluge
of fire."
Mr.. Bishop states that the present |
flow is much greater in quantity than
that of 1868, being twice the length Of
the latter, and greater in depth. Be
also calls the attention to an interesting
volcanic fact observed in steaming
around the south point of Hawaii. This
was remarkable surface layer of yellow |
ochre, or q substance similar to it, many |
feet in depth. He believes this to be |
layer Of yellow ashes distributed from
some eruption, probably thousands of
years ago. Referring to this discovery
he states: eve are thus enabled to de.
termine the remarkable and important |
fact that, at recent period, although |
prehistoric, there was an explosive
eruption of yellow cinders, which covered |
at least one hundred square miles with
yellow ashes several feet in thickness.
Judge D. H. Hitchcock, under date of |
February Sd from Hlo: 1--WE are ex-
periencing slight shocks almost every
day or night. A very heavy fall of vol
canic smoke hides Mauna Loa from
here. If there were no further volcsnicd
action this smoke would all have been
blown to sea by the strong winds which
have been blowing for the past week.
As it is feel as though the end of the
flow was not yet